Illusion with Fire
by SapphireEmbers
Summary: The Uchiha Clan had secrets...they had been hiding another Line. And after the massacre, one of theirs survived, too. 2.5 Years have passed and she's back and shares a dream with Sasuke. Can they make it a reality?
1. Prologue&History

**Before Ya Read Note:** Yes, as always my character is a friggin BITCH. Moving on, this takes place after the 2.5 Year Arc (where the current Japanese manga is at, for those who are dedicated fans to Naruto), and so I did my best to make it up-to-date. Feel free to comment and ridicule, but please, just review. :D Hope ya like it.

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**Illusion With Fire**

_Illusions. They're pictures…images…fantasy. They can twist and swirl, creating new material. But no matter what they do, I control them. I weave them…wield them. To fight me is to fight yourself and your fears. And with this power, there's only one thing I to do want— kill. With all of my black, cruel heart, I want to see the damned madman that killed my life dead…and my hands to be the one that did it._

–_Kaida Maimu_

History:

It's not well known mainly because the village of Konoha wouldn't have tolerated it. If anything, it's not known at all and a forgotten whisper of the past. The now dying Uchiha clan, with the unique Kekkei genkai of the Sharingan had another ally—the nearly dead at the time Maimu line. All that was left at the time was Cho, age 25; Nori, age 19; Misaki, age 17; and Amaya, age 8. The eldest male being Nori, son of Isamu who had died when Amaya was only three, had only recently mastered the Maimu line's own kekkei genkai first stage: Haroniji or Illusion-Weaver.Cho, the mother of the three children, last of this unique line, was proud, never inheriting the trait herself. However, Misaki, who had the same swiftness and talent of her father, had mastered the kekkei genkai a year ago.

The Maimu line has a long history mainly because of their extreme rarity and difficulty to inherit their kekkei genkai, and the fact that those with the ability were valuable. Their power—to manipulate the mind and weave illusions. And then the other bonuses—healing up to 100 times faster than a normal human, able to steal chakra, and when they've seen an enemy's jutsu six times they are able to copy it flawlessly. Then again, the mere first stage of their Kekkei genkai (Illusions) takes months just to begin to master. The other techniques take years and a few emotional triumphs and lows to gain. Back then; life had been simple…or as simple as life got for the Maimu line. Anytime where they weren't in a war was considered good. So often were they dragged into wars for their ability to turn people against their worst enemy—themselves. They were also allied with a strong clan of the Uchiha's that could partially relate to them. Good fortune in their long, long past.

At the time, the Maimu line was finally emerging from a non-war-related crisis. Without someone to lead their line on and continue it, they would overall die out. But now, with two of Cho's children able to produce the Maimu's signature and with Amaya just beginning to, all was well. Misaki was on the third stage of trying to master stealing chakra, while Nori was still on the second part of healing quicker. It was then that Amaya's life would change forever. It was then, the power-hungry Itachi Uchiha attacked, mercilessly and monstrously…just to see if he could. All the while, Amaya cowered…having created an illusion by luck of her dead corpse near her mother as crimson blood from a gash in her neck trickled down her skin. However, she doesn't remember that. All she remembers are her hands shaking…as her undeveloped silver eyes darted from her mother's body to Misaki and Nori…also dead on the wooden floor and the rest of their house in shambles. Ringing in her ears were screams as she sat too petrified to help…frozen with fear. It wasn't like a pathetic little eight year old under a shamed legacy that was just beginning to tap into her power could help tame a natural prodigy with much more experience. And when the battle was over…she couldn't face the fire. Deeply traumatized, she ran. She didn't care where she went; she didn't know where she was going. All she could hear was shrieking…terrified and horrified moans and screams as they pleaded for mercy…to see the sun again that haunted her. Mocked her.

After a week, Amaya had awakened a sort of inner chakra…something extraordinary even in her rare blood. It burned her…scorched her. She screamed like the dead that had taunted her while she had ran. But when she emerged, she had the chakra level equivalent to Misaki at age 25 if she had survived and managed to keep training at her harsh rate. But with this chakra change, it had darkened her soul—her outlook—her world. No longer was she Amaya, third child of Isamu and Cho Maimu…she was a new person all her own. Her silver eyes that had signaled the beginning to master Illusion-Weaver were gone and replaced with a dark green that said she had enough chakra to perform every aspect of her Kekkei genkai. Her hair was the color of a raven's wings and a lanky, tangled mess from gripping it for support during her violent transformation. Her skin was a sickly pale, as if all of the sunlight that it had absorbed at suddenly been evaporated. She was stealth-like and cold. And there was only one thing on her mind: kill Itachi, the man who had killed her life. But she wouldn't be weak Amaya who couldn't defend her family, or even have enough courage to try. No, now she was Kaida; little dragon. With this fierce power and icy demeanor, however, size meant little.


	2. Beautiful but Deadly

**Before Ya Read Note: **And we get to see Kaida, finally, in action! Just so you aren't mislead later, no,she isn't using her full powers or even most of her jutsu's. And yes, most techinques she taught to herself.

The 'Land of Shadows', is a completely fictional (or, to my best knowledge fictional) place in the Naruto-world, and it's to give her a place where she can kill a bunch of people without fans of those character reviewing and saying 'YOU BITCH!'. :D Hope you like it, and _por favor_, (please) review.

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**In the town of Shinunak, Land of Shadows (Not allies with other nations):**

"Ryuu! Ryuu!"

"What is it?" A light-brunette young man stood at the door as the head warrior rushed in.

"Rose—Black Rose." She gasped, "The Dark Illusionist—whatever you want to call her. We heard someone screaming…a posted guard no doubt."

Ryuu felt the blood from his face drain. Their sister village of Nakiyuna had been attacked recently by the notorious child. Her nickname was Black Rose, for her streak of leaving a black rose at every town in which she mass-murdered, killing everyone. But she had also gained another nickname of Dark Illusionist since on everyone she killed, engraved with a kunai on their flesh was the character for dark. And the fact that those that had managed to survive and run to the next village before death had said that her power was to create Illusions that drove the person to madness. Black Rose, the Dark Illusionist, all meant the same thing now though—death. No one had managed to survive her ruthless attacks, for everyone just as the rumor was, was driven to insanity by her. Rumors gathered from messengers fleeing and warning many villages before being killed in the village they were housed at. And that was the other thing. No one had even seen her—all they saw was a dark-haired girl with golden eyes that glittered viciously until they swirled into emerald and the torture began.

"Ready the rest of the warriors. For the sake of our country, we shall fight this menace." He said stiffly. She nodded fiercely, and began to run out of the brown-toned room to order the rest of the warriors. However, she abruptly froze…from a mirror Ryuu could see her face twisted in untold agony.

"Sayuri?" He asked, concerned. She fell to the ground, limp. Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth. "SAYURI!" Ryuu yelled. It was then he saw her. The Dark Illusionist…Black Rose. She had the figure of a fifteen-yr-old and had shadowy hair that covered half of her face, having her visible semi gold-emerald eye upon him with malice.

"You—" The rest of the sentence was strangled in his throat. His eyes grew…what was happening…? The room melted away revealing on a black abyss that he had collapsed onto.

"Ryuu…the head of Shinunak." Her voice was soft and barely above a whisper but echoed as if she had spoken into a microphone hooked up with surround sound, "Your entire town is destroyed…everyone else is dead." Suddenly she had disappeared from his view, and he felt her voice come from behind him, "How does it feel to be the last of your kind? Frightening? Prideful? _Shamed_?"

"Everyone's…dead? But…I heard people outside while Sayuri was talking…" He gasped, as pain erupted from every pore on his body in unbearable pain. He curled up on ground in agony.

If he had been able to see her face, he would've seen a devious smirk…the closest she'd get to a smile out of happiness. This was _fun_ to her…seeing others pain…anguish. And yet she had no remorse.

"When you and your _darling_ Sayuri were already under my illusion? Dear Ryuu, I've been controlling your world for nearly an hour now and you didn't notice?"

The brunette was now coughing up blood as she spoke as he felt his inside churn as if being cooked in lava…he felt like he wanted to kill himself…stop the pain…the torture.

"Aww…what's wrong? Cat got your tongue?" On cue, a cat appeared in front of the general, its whiteness unnerving against the black canvass behind it. It gave a mellow meow…then it exploded into poison-covered feathers that fell to the ground delicately. Kaida laughed…it danced like a wildfire, spreading and destroying anything it touched…. Suddenly, it stopped. Her now emerald eyes from using her bloodline trait narrowed on him as the fire receded and the world was only an endless shadow.

"What's wrong? Not in the mood for humor as your body erupts in uncontrolled pain? Would you rather have mental anguish, then?" Kaida smirked, "Would you rather touch death and feel hot hate?" Not even waiting for him to reply, she snapped her fingers, the inky blackness gone and replaced with images. So realistic were they that Ryuu felt as if was there…on the cliff that overlooked a restless, white-capped sea. He was now standing; Kaida picking him up in actual reality. Then, he heard a sickening crumbling of the rocks that he stood on as she came crashing down the rocky cliff and plummet into the ocean… There was no true air on his face, but he felt like it as images of it flashed before his eyes, weaved by Kaida who stood aside of him, invisible because she made herself so. He crashed into the water…only to realize he was no longer there but trapped in quicksand. His heart racing from the fall his mind had imagined, he struggled at the quicksand, which was also an illusion. But so well done and realistic was it that his mind had perceived it as reality. She had tricked his mind and now he tortured himself. Kaida stood by his side, watching him fight against nothing.

But, the more he fought, the deeper he became in the quicksand that only Kaida knew were lies. His legs couldn't move…now the thick plasma-goop was at his neck and approaching his mouth…. Now he couldn't breathe. He gasped….

Kaida continued to stand at his side, a goofy grin on her face.

"Stop this madness, witch!" Screamed Ryuu, as he now stood in front of snakes, in which he had a phobia of, "What did we ever do to you!"

Hidden from view, Kaida frowned.

"What the entire world has done to me—if you knew the real me… the real Black Rose…Dark Illusionist…whatever. I'd be used constantly…a pawn in the game of chess. I'm not a puppet now, though, am I?" Her words were harshly spoken as images of blood and dead corpses flashed in front of Ryuu's eyes. Then, on a lighter note…almost sounding sorry… "Besides…I have to. He killed everyone…everything… It's because of him…damn him! I want him to feel my pain! Anguish! I need to do this so I can kill him! To make vengeance mine!" Tears that she hadn't felt in a long time came to her eyes and the images that flashed before the general became more and more mad and sickening, "I WILL KILL HIM, AND HE'LL ROT IN MY PIT OF ETERNAL HELL!" Ryuu flinched as the pain returned as her yelling turned hysterical and he fell to the ground again. "HE WILL DIE AT MY MERCY JUST AS MY FAMILY DIED TO HIS! HE WILL PAY FOR EVERYONE HE KILLED FOR A SECOND OF ANGUISH AT HIS DEATH!" Her anger boiling she stepped behind the now crumpled Ryuu that withered on the floor…remembering the insane trip as pain ebbed every cell in his body.

"I'm sorry, Ryuu. But, I have to. I wish you could understand…but, knowing my blood will only make you hate me." Grabbing his shoulders with her hands, she pulled back her leg and kicked him back in the head. There was a snap as his spinal cord broke…an instant, painless death. The illusions had stopped… Taking out a kunai, Kaida traced out the dark character on the back of his dismantled neck. As she walked out, she reached inside her faded, grayish-green khaki bag that had waited for her outside his door and withdrew a blooming black rose. She dropped it on the doorstep, just out of reach of the open door as it swung wildly in the untamed wind.

Another town…another nearly 300 dead…. Barely closer to beating Itachi… Little did Kaida know, her life was about to take a drastic turn as she came out of the Land of Shadows by boat near the Hidden Village of the Sound…. For to her best knowledge, only she had survived the Uchiha massacre…she and the murderer. In fact, she had never even tried to remember the little shadow of a brother the killer had. The one that she always played with on the swings while Misaki, Nori, Itachi and other warriors trained…. But he had forgotten her too. Both of them had forgotten it the day Itachi unleashed hell, and reshaped both of their lives forever.


	3. Reunion Part 1

**Before Ya Read Note: **DUN DUN DUN. The climax when she meets Sasuke FINALLY. No, I decided that he is NOT carrying his sword mainly because I have no clue about swordmanship therefore don't want attempt to describe fighting with it. XD Hope you like it, and please, once again, REVIEW. :D

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**In The Woods Outside of the Hidden Village of the Sound:**

Dark clouds churned unnaturally in the sky above. However, the student of the great Orochimaru barely noticed it as he kicked the snout of a large, armored creature that slightly resembled a large feline. With eyes that seemed to be pools of blood, he could see every movement the thing made with perfect precision. It had just taken him a while to wear out the creature to the point where his line's Kekkei genkai was no longer needed for this type of animal had the ability to reach speeds where the human eye could not follow. However, Sharingan eyes were a whole different matter and his eyes had followed the creature with ease. The beast stood again…it's left front limb crumpled beneath its weight and it withered to the ground. He smirked, as not a bead of sweat was on him.

"Fire style!"

Immediately, it was engulfed in a bonfire. It let out a revolting moan/shriek as the extreme heat melted its armor and the natural oils of its surface continued to ignite the flame with more fury. But, as the fire lost the fuel and die, so did the creature. Growing bored, the dark-haired boy picked up his bag that he had set down during battle and walked casually out of the clearing, not even looking back with a bit of regret. As he weaved in between the various shades of brown from the bark of ancient trees, he could hear his sensei's voice in his head…. _Remember Sasuke; you must reach this checkpoint in a matter of eleven days. Each day, more creatures will come and each will be more ruthless than the last. This is to test your endurance that we've been training of for the past few weeks._

It was a pointless test to Sasuke, really. This was already the ninth day and the creatures seemed to just be getting easier. The more challenging they became, the effective was his Sharingan against them. As he walked, deciding that he didn't really feel like battling again, he leapt up into the canopy of the forest, now using tree branches to excel his pace. He could've easily made it to the checkpoint in a few hours, but since he was supposed to stretch it out another two days, he was just doing this to find something to occupy his mind. Out of the corner of his keen eyes, he caught a movement. It was faint…barely even noticeable and a normal ninja wouldn't have even seen it. He stopped and glanced back, finding himself looking at a shaking branch only ten meters from where he stood. However, he knew perfectly well he hadn't stepped on that particular limb and that he wouldn't have gone on such a frail, unsafe one. He wasn't the only thing here. Sasuke almost swore to himself. He was just having a constant amount of battles today, wasn't he? He readied himself for whatever it was.

Kaida, too, had almost sworn to herself. She hadn't encountered anyone for a while and was currently searching for a nice village to thrash. However, she most certainly hadn't expected to meet someone else in the middle of nowhere…especially someone with those crimson eyes that had so often haunted her in her nightmares. The Sharingan…but it didn't make sense. As she stopped for a better view from above him, she could easily say it wasn't Itachi. He was far too young and didn't have the same attire as the bloodless demon.

"How do you have those eyes?" She called out from above him. He jerked his head up and Kaida immediately knew it was no mistake. Sharingan eyes…fully developed too. They met her golden gaze that normally would've been emerald from using her own kekkei genkai; however she was far too intrigued to even think of it. Another…another Uchiha? It seemed impossible…wasn't she the only one who had survived? Although, it was completely plausible since she had fled to another country just to make sure her training would be in peace from Itachi and wouldn't have known if there had been another survivor.

In her absent-minded thinking he had came up to the height she was at, eager for combat. "If you'd study, you'd have known they're a bloodline trait." He replied, as he threw at least five kunai at her. Natural instincts taking over, she leapt off the limb and onto another only to find that he had beaten her there.

"I know what they are, stupid." She hissed back, flicking away his punch and kicking the air as he retreated from her attack. "But I didn't know anyone else survived."

"Anyone else? It's just Itachi, and me, you idiot. I'm the last thanks to him" He snapped, clearly touchy on that subject as he lunged at her again for another attack. However, Kaida was already somewhere else in another tree and just as before, he was there a split second after her. He paused as he drew back his hand for a punch…her widened gaze puzzling him.

"They were true…those whispers…" Her golden gaze was now being contaminated by a dark green as she unconsciously roused her power. The battleground of the high canopy was gone and the two were now standing in front three corpses and an 8-yr-old crying girl. Outside there were screams…she seemed to have forgotten him. She was in a flashback all her own as Sasuke was forced to witness her past.

"This is…this is the day Itachi…" His words caught as he was forced to remember himself. He looked up and looked from this girl that had taken him to this place and the little, bleeding and sobbing girl. Their faces bore an eerie resemblance if it weren't for the fact that her eyes were green and the younger girl's were a soft silver. As if he already knew it, he quickly made the connection that they were the same and this was her memory…. but why was he experiencing it?

Just as oddly as it had appeared, it disappeared and he was looking into those golden eyes again. "That…was your memory, —?"

"Kaida." She said, giving her name, "And yes. It was my memory…sorry for that, by the way, —?"

"Sasuke."

"Yeah. I guess…" She sighed and shook her head, "Kekkei genkais are a nuisance, to make it simple."

Every single cell inside of Sasuke's mind was screaming at him to kill her. The vision had been so realistic and even his Sharingan couldn't protect him from the hallucination, she could beat him with ease therefore should've been taken out first. But, he couldn't bring himself to… He had never met her before but he felt like he had known her forever from their connection in early childhood. Or was it perhaps the fact that he had seen what she had experienced and pitied her?

"How come I never heard of a Kaida, then?" Asked Sasuke, as he tried to piece it all together. She flustered.

"Kaida is who I am now. Does the name Amaya Maimu; youngest sibling of Nori and Misaki; daughter of Isamu and Cho Maimu ring a bell?"

"Faintly familiar." Replied Sasuke, "I heard of the Maimu line at school…and I think I heard Misaki before…"

Kaida frowned. School? He learnt about her ancestors at school? Probably taught him to hate her blood because of their power.

"Misaki was my older sister," Offered Kaida, "She was a rather high-ranking warrior. At only seventeen and mastering two of the four parts of the Maimu Kekkei genkai is supposedly remarkable."

"The first stage is Illusion-Weaver and able to create realistic visions." Recited Sasuke from his excellent memory, "After mastering that, they are able to heal up to 50 times faster than a normal human. The third technique is able to steal chakra from an opponent when low on theirs. Then, finally, they can copy and carry out a jutsu if they've seen it six times."

"Able to heal up to 100 times faster, actually," Corrected Kaida, "But, that's still impressive to remember that." She added.

"I remembered it mainly because I always heard my father boasting how Misaki would make a fine warrior once she mastered the other two techniques aside from Illusion-Weaver." Muttered Sasuke, "And how she and Itachi would make a great team."

"So, you did remember." Smirked Kaida. Now it was Sasuke's turn to look flustered but Kaida merely laughed. She leaned against the trunk of the tree, her hair shading her eyes; despite this, shimmering golden eyes peeked out from the shadows at him. Normally, this would've annoyed Sasuke, however somehow, the way she did it—something made it seem…normal. That reminded him of another question…

"How come I haven't seen you until now, then?" Kaida cocked her head at the question, "Why haven't I seen you since the…." His voice trailed out, as he wasn't quite sure what to call it. The murder-spree? The massacre? Either way, Kaida seemed to have understood it…and how her cocky air seemed to have disappeared at the mention of it, rather shamed of her action.

"I don't know what you were doing during it, Sasuke, but I was there. Home. I had to always stay there since the village your clan was allied with hated my blood from wars long ago. I heard it all…saw him as he killed each member of my family as they tried to fight him. Each failing. By a chance of luck, I was able to create a convincing illusion that he had killed me with his shuriken. I suppose it was also because he didn't think I could've been skilled enough to make an illusion at all. Either way, after it, I…I didn't know what to do. As far as I knew, everyone of the Uchiha clan was now dead and I had no clue where to go since they were the only people I had ever known. And if I went into the village, I'd probably be killed for revenge eventually. I fled…out of all of those countries that my line had been associated with before." Her tone of voice was dark in remembrance.

"I went to the Land of Shadows. Somehow…a few days after I got out of there…I" She sighed, having difficulty describing it, "Transformed, I guess would be the best word. My chakra became darker…fouler and how it is today. I became stronger, as if an inner storage of chakra had unlocked. I became devoted…obsessed with killing Itachi. I trained with a few senseis, but in the end, most of them… 'underestimated my power' with exercises. After two years of that…I saw him. I was only ten and I knew I couldn't beat him and I'm sure he probably realized that there were only three dead Maimu bodies instead of four. We fought." Kaida grimaced at the bitter memory, "As you can imagine, a mere ten-yr-old facing the 15-yr-old Itachi did not end up to my favor. However, he let me live…said I wasn't worth the time to kill." With a burst of unforeseen temperament, she jumped onto a lower branch of another tree and kicked it with such force that it moved a good five feet and stood crooked. From above, Sasuke didn't even flinch. So it had been true…their line reacted with emotion. It only made them more dangerous yet tamer. If you appealed correctly to them, you would have an almost unfair advantage.

"God! That…that thing! I want him _dead_, I'd do _anything_ to kill him!" In a second, she was on another branch, a few feet from the one Sasuke stood on and at the same height again. "Excuse my temperament…. That's the only subject I've ever been unable to contain anger on. I guess I'm just…afraid that if I someday am able to control anger on that, I might forget. Become weak. Easy prey..."

All the while, Kaida's words barely sunk into his mind…. She had fought him too…and she also shared his dream to kill his brother. Two ideas pestered him. If she wanted him dead, she probably wanted to do it…but he wanted to be the one to kill him damn brother himself. It was either they become enemies because of this and rival each other, or they helped each other to achieve their goal and put this hardship aside. He remembered the first test Kakashi, his first sensei, had put him through with Sakura and Naruto. Teamwork…that was what Kakashi had wanted in his team. Here was the golden chance…she had much chakra, he could already see that, and he knew he'd be able to kill Itachi quicker with her help. However, his vision of killing Itachi himself would be marred with her assistance.

"What are you doing here, anyways?" Concluded Kaida, as she had talked and Sasuke had planned.

"A mission," He said blankly, "From Orochimaru-sensei." The lack of sleep was finally beginning to set in. Normally, he wouldn't have told a stranger in his right mind what he was doing and especially who his sensei was.

"Orochimaru, huh?" The syllables rolled off her tongue, "I've definitely heard of him. He lost his body and is trying to raise a new one, isn't he?"

Sasuke stood, stunned. What was she talking about? He already knew that Orochimaru was using another ninja's body but…raising a new one? His skin prickled at the thought. Was he the new one? A mere pawn in a game? However, he did not portray any of these darker emotions.

"He's…raising a new body? Who told you that?"

Kaida shrugged. "A village just a bit south of here, some high-ranking officers were talking about it before I killed them." She said it so casually…as if killing someone was something she did on a daily basis…

"You…just killed someone?" Clarified Sasuke. He had a sinking suspicion that she hadn't misspoken, though. This girl just kept getting weirder and weirder….

Kaida looked indignant, "No…" Sasuke let out a silent sigh of relief, "I killed the entire village."

"You…killed an entire village?" His voice seemed hallow and far off. It didn't seem possible…not a scratch was on her, on top of that, too.

"Well, I'm guessing I did," Replied Kaida looking rather cross, "I thought everyone was dead…why, did someone survive?"

"Don't you feel a bit of remorse?" He looked at her with new eyes. Could this mere girl have killed an entire village? How could she speak about it with ease? Was she that, excuse the pun, dead serious to kill Itachi?

"I already told you. I want him _dead_. I would do _anything_ to make him that way." Her voice was dark and sober, "Besides, it's not like anyone knows," She added on a lighter note, "I didn't leave a note signed 'Kaida', and since there are no survivors, they don't even know what I look like. Unless…you're going to tell someone." She glanced over at Sasuke, her eyes critical almost analyzing to see if he was enough of a threat.

"You're playing right into his hands! He wants you to do that!" Nearly shouted Sasuke, remembering how he had concluded that after his battle with Naruto who had tried to prevent him from going to Orochimaru. "You're no better than he is."

"It's his fault for underestimating me than." Snapped Kaida, "If I play into his hands, I don't care, as long as he ends up dead. He's going to die. And maybe, I am no better than he is, but what am I supposed to do? Go train with a sensei only to fall into someone else's plans to use my kekkei genkai to their own advantage? If I become like him to some people, they don't know me. I'm not a bloodless monster…I'm an avenger." Sasuke felt his blood run cold for he thought of himself the exact same way, "This is my life's goal…I have no other purpose. After this, I could care less if I spend the rest of my life in prison. I accomplished what I wanted…it's as simple as that. I would be eternally content." She looked at Sasuke, straight into his gaze. Gold and garnet eyes met.

"Don't you want to see the man that destroyed your life dead, too?" She asked, softly.

"Why do you think I'm training with a sensei?" Scoffed Sasuke, "For the fun of it?"

Kaida smiled…a cold, dark smile.


	4. Reunion Part 2

**Before Ya Read Note: **Aww. Now the two get to fight. Mind you all, this was difficult to keep Sasuke in character while he got his ass partially kicked. >. So, do not mock me. Feel free, however, to yell at me if you feel I didn't. ;) I didn't post it on FanFiction for it to take up space but to get reviews on what people thought about it.

Just so no one is mislead, Kaida, although may seem like one, is not a perfect character. She DOES have many flaws, many of which just haven't been seen yet. So, don't go off ranting 'Oh, your character has no flaws, and blah, blah, blah.' Perfect characters annoy the hell outta me too so I'll try not to do it. Later, however, if you still feel she's too perfect, please input SUGGESTIONS as well as complaints. :D _Mucho gracias_(Very/Much thanks), and please review.

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In The Woods Outside of the Hidden Village of the Sound:**

He didn't flinch. She didn't scare him. "You want lessons? What could a controlled environment that has rules and limits teach you? In the real world, there won't be any _sensei_ to save your ass. There aren't any rules and anyone can do anything if you're dumb enough to be duped." Sasuke felt his knuckles turn white and his hand felt as if it were about to bleed from his nails in his skin, "So how about it, Sasuke? Wanna play with the big kids? I promise I won't hurt you too bad. I just need to see what your capabilities are…see if you're wasting your time trying to kill your brother."

She had just stepped over the edge. At first she seemed ok…but now…

He didn't even give a warning as he threw a shuriken at her. It hit her…square in the chest. She didn't even move…that grim smirk was still on her face. The air seemed to be thick and the time seemed to have stopped. Sasuke swore to himself. He should've known.

"Ah, so you've already realized that not all of my illusions are as obvious as the first one?"

Her voice echoed in the air and had a sort of tinge of humor in it. However, Sasuke was in no mood to be trifled with. Before him, the figure of Kaida melted into a pool of flesh-colored liquid with black swirls in it and disappeared into thin air. The trees around him rippled as if they were a reflection in disturbed water however the branch beneath him remained whole. The sky turned from a blue into the colors of a forest in autumn. Sasuke looked around confused, and unsure of where to go. He was out in the open…an easy target and his Sharingan, for whatever reason, had no effect. It was a stupid move…he shouldn't have let his temper get the best of him…. Temper. That was it. She had already showed him her terrible temper on the subject of Itachi…. now all he had to do was use it to his own advantage.

Suddenly he was side-tackled and thrown into mid-air. The move was startling since his reality now seemed now a wavering haze of brown, rather horizontal lines and scarlet, rust, yellow blurred together so he couldn't tell where other branches were. Feeling stupid, he let himself fall onto another branch while having a major disadvantage.

"Why can't I see through this even with Sharingan?" He panted as he kicked at her, missing as she stepped back. For all he knew, this was just an illusion of her…

"Because my line's Kekkei genkai is immune to other kekkei genkai." Laughed Kaida from behind. He jabbed his elbow back only to have it make contact with nothing. "Surely your school taught you of the Three Curses put upon my blood? Curse of Immunity to fellow kekkei genkai. Curse of eternal nightmares each dusk. And Curse of healing 6 times slower." He was beginning to become frustrated as she lectured him; he tried to think of another tactic…

_Calm down, Sasuke…don't trust your eyes…_ He breathed in deeply and closed his useless eyes. _Now concentrate…listen for her movement and stay focused. _All he could see was vast ebony… He heard a leaf rustle and a twig snap to his left…then barely a second after the vibration of a branch from a foot stepping on it to his right. She was either running at amazingly high speeds or this wasn't real either.

"Smart…using your second strongest sense of hearing to find me. That was something that took me a while to figure out to master. Even so, I suggest you not to pay attention to it. I can now manufacture sounds…" Sasuke thought he had locked onto her voice…but to try to find her without knowing where stable terrain was would be chaos. He decided to stay put until she came closer…that or try to get back on the ground… "So, your eyes and ears are useless and you best not believe them... Unless you want to be lead into a trap." Kaida laughed, "Scent doesn't work either. I'm not a novice at my bloodline trait…I never underestimate anyone. I have a bag of spices and other strong-odor items to counteract that sense. I've deposited them all around so you couldn't trace my scent. And if you were skilled enough to have keen enough sense of smell to identify the differences in flows of scents, I would've made it a quick job and have killed you by now. But, I can't do that now can I? No…this is a lesson. A lesson to show you what lies beyond the borders of these soft allied nations." She smirked and her voice drifted close than far again.

"Anyways, this bores me…you're smart enough not to try to attack blindly like some other fools. So, you pass…of course, what I would've expected from an Uchiha. If you hadn't been unable to get past that easy challenge, I would've ended it here to save you the agony of even trying to beat Itachi."

Sasuke, still rather furious at her for these games and being treated like a child, opened his eyes. Reality was normal again…however Kaida was nowhere to be seen.

"Everything is reality…. I've just cloaked myself because I'm sure you're raging mad at me. Take my generosity and kindly leap down…I'm sure you've realized it'd be easier to fight me that way."

Sasuke, hating himself for what he was doing, leapt down…a shuriken out. He got onto the ground without any trouble but was immediately submerged into darkness. Before him was Kaida. Unlike before though, instead of just having her long bangs hang, she had let down all of her hair. It was draggled, ragged, lank and hung down to her shoulder blades, limp over her pale features that were striking in the inky darkness. She still wore the same skin-tight, black shirt and tattered, short, dark blue skort with loose black stockings that fell at her ankles which remained on from bulky, dark gray shoes. On her upper left thigh was a black, strip that held two knives and hanging from her fiery belt were two dusty-brown canvas bags with the character for 'dream' and 'nightmare' on the flaps. Her jewel-like eyes were an intense green.

"Why are you doing this? What's your real reason? Why should you care if someone dies to him? You don't even know me!" Snarled Sasuke, knowing that the figure in front of him was probably an illusion.

"How typical. Refusing assistance…you are true to your blood." Her voice reminded him of sand skittering across rough sidewalk, "You want a reason besides to assist you? I want him dead. We share a dream…you want him dead, too. I can see it in your eyes…burning, passionate hate. You're wasting your time with a sensei. One cannot help mold someone else's hatred. We want to reek revenge…we know it shall not get back what is lost, but it satisfies a hunger…a need. That's how all avengers are. Others are different. Orochimaru wants him dead for pride. Your friends—Sakura and Naruto—want him dead for your sake. No one really understands…they all try to make you think they do, but you know they don't and never will." Sasuke's eyes widened as she mentioned Sakura and Naruto. "How did I know about your friends? It's how I know people's worse fears. I can see illusions and reality at the same time…how I control both. But I can also see memories…. Not what they're thinking, but what they've thought. Who they are and what they've become. But, sometimes…I wish I could see who I've become…then again, haven't we all?" Kaida smiled…apparently lost in her own memories. Sasuke was lost for words. She knew all about him…she knew every secret that he knew. The thought was rather frightening. But he didn't show it…he couldn't of if he tried. Then…anger boiled. She thought that he was like her, did she?

"I'm nothing like you." He spat, "I'm not some coward who hides, plays puppet-master than acts like they know all! Unlike you, I have friends! I know right from wrong and don't murder senselessly!"

"You call me a coward for using my abilities? For surviving? Do you just envy the fact that I am stronger therefore do not have to exert so much effort?" She didn't sound offended. Just stung that he thought life was so easy for her… "Maybe I have no friends, but that's because I don't want betrayal! I'm not stupid enough trust because it'll just be shattered eventually! And so what if weed the garden of the weak? Or perhaps you just haven't realized how pathetically weak the world is. How easily hearts can be crushed…physically or mentally. How am I being senselessly cruel if the world was that way to me! Doesn't that make everything that way, therefore making me normal?"

The vision of Kaida blurred and around her was a red aura. Her dark green eyes had a mischievous glint in them as a wind picked up, and her black hair swirled around her face. On the ground, there was a swirling mass of snakes that clung around his ankles. Their squirming, scaly bodies…he could've sworn he felt the scales against his flesh… _It's not real, Sasuke! They're not real! It's a lie…they can't hurt you because they're not real._ His thoughts soothed his fear and he relaxed his shoulders.

"This isn't real. Why should I be afraid?" He asked, looking into her gem-like eyes. "Stop the games…you can't fool me."

"Can't I?" From behind, a foot kicked him and he fell headfirst into mess of snakes. They flared their hoods, but never tried to bite him. They always moved out of his way just before he touched them.

"You're forgetting, Sasuke." Her voice had that tinge of humor in it again, "I know all about you. Your fears…your weaknesses…who you hate, and who you cherish."

Before him, he saw his mother smiling at him. His throat felt dry.

"Sasuke, it's been so long…" His mother gave a comforting laugh and Sasuke turned away, just as Kaida appeared. From behind him, he heard a scream. He threw a punch at her, knowing that she was probably an illusion anyways. To his surprise, however, she caught the punch. He could feel her hot skin against his as she barely even put any pressure on his fist.

"Surprise, surprise." She taunted as she caught his other punch and twisted both of his arms painfully behind his back. He grimaced and hit tried to hit her with the heel of his foot. Before he even came five inches from her though, she pushed him forwards and kicked him in his hip with her own heel as he fell forwards. He lay on his back, his hip aching.

Wait…she had revealed herself to him. Now his Sharingan was valid…he wasn't going to give up now. He stood up just in time to evade her punch and grab her wrist. Suddenly, he was behind her and had her arm behind her back to the point of tension. She stepped backwards into him and stepped on his foot then elbowed him in the gut. He staggered back, loosing hold on her wrist and she turned around, fists up ready for his next attack. He wiped a bit of blood from his mouth. She was a fair fighter…but now he was really going to start to fight. He threw some throwing stars at her and while she dodged them, came up at her and kicked her across the face. She blocked the side-kick with her forearm but flew back as he stabbed his foot right in her gut. She hit something and fell to the ground, Sasuke guessed a tree. But since his fighting arena was a still just an endless sea of darkness, he couldn't be for sure. She stood almost instantly, wiping blood from her mouth as he had done just moments before.

"Are you going to kill me?" She mocked, "Did I insult you by making you feel minor compared to me? Is that why you detest him? Because your arrogance binds you to?"

Sasuke threw a kunai at her— "The only conceited person I see here is you. I'm not the one who kills people just to feel important because they lost to someone, Kaida. Weak, cowering people like you make me _sick._"

She caught the kunai easily and bent it with the pressure of one hand. Something in his gut told him it wasn't an illusion… "Weak? Cowering? Perhaps I am arrogant, Sasuke, but at least I'm not a hypocrite like you. I do not hide; I merely go where others do not because of fear. Why do you not try to do the same?" She dropped the kunai and there was a metallic click and it lay in the blackness. Sasuke had to guess it landed on a rock from the odd angle it sat at.

She threw a throwing star at him with perfect accuracy if it weren't for the fact he moved. One second she was throwing metallic stars at him, the next she was in front of him and her fist was two inches from his face. He just barely managed to dive out of the way from the attack and hit her in the back and force her to tumble forwards. She caught herself, did a perfect front-flip and spun around, a shuriken out. By now Sasuke was at his feet, and, too, had a shuriken out.

Kaida flicked a lock of hair behind her face that was slightly slick from perspiration. "Bring it, Uchiha." She smirked.

"Try to keep up, Maimu." He mimicked as he bolted behind her, jumping over an in-flight shuriken that would've been deadly accurate had he not moved. There was a clash as she had had enough time to pull out another one. Was that even possible for someone to move that fast? As his thoughts drifted, he felt himself losing to Kaida and quickly increased pressure. The two shurikens hissed at the strain, and then Kaida's flew from her hand. However, this move was extremely sudden and Sasuke, who was also not expecting, listened to his clank uselessly to the ground along with hers. Before Kaida could make a move towards it though, he had already thrown a kick that had been leapt over gracefully. She flung more throwing stars at him, which he caught and shot back at her. She dodged them threw a kick at him. He blocked the kick and swiped his leg beneath her, sending Kaida tumbling down. He pulled out a shuriken as he kept her pinned down with his knee. The scene froze as he held his weapon a few millimeters from her bare, exposed neck. Both of them panted from the intense battle… "Looks like the student has surpassed the master."

"You'd think that, wouldn't you?" From the position he was at, he couldn't see her face…but he didn't need eyes to tell him she was smirking…. God, what was she thinking _now_? Without warning, she spat at his hand. Instinctively, he pulled away, only then realizing that he had given away his advantage. She bit the handle of the shuriken he held and yanked it out of his hands and hide wherever it had landed in the darkness. Without a weapon to prevent her movements, she twisted underneath his pressure and elbowed his knee to throw him off her. As he fell to the side, she grabbed him around his neck and pivoted on her knees so that she was behind him and could suffocate him.

"You have to be ready for everything, Sasuke," She sang tauntingly. It somewhat reminded him of Kakashi during the first task of taking a bell from him three years ago. But back then he had been weak…hadn't he? How could he be that weak again? Anger boiled inside of him. With strength that he didn't even know he had, he pulled her over his head and slammed her into the ground. Her dark, emerald eyes were wide with shock as he did, clearly not anticipating this move either. He smirked.

"Now, who was that hypocrite again?" He leered.

Pain shot down her spine as she landed on the ground. Was he truly that strong? A part of her wished she could start over…they'd been getting along fine. Why'd she have to test him? Why? Of course, she already knew the answer…to analyze whether or not he was a threat. But the fact that he might've been friends partially meant there was still a chance at that. Keeping ambitions to herself, she smiled, continuing on with her little lesson.

"I must admit, Sasuke, I am rather impressed." Her voice had that natural taunt back in it, "How about we move onto another lesson? A more challenging one to really test your abilities." She let the illusions fall; her eyes still a murky green, though. "Let's see how well you can decipher reality from fantasy."

As if on an insane roller coaster, Sasuke was suddenly flung onto the top of a cloud, in which he stood on as if it were ground. All around him, there was an endless abyss of blue while wispy, white vapors of the cloud swirled around his leg and around his head. They thickened until he couldn't see…he felt something grasp around his neck. He pulled against what he saw as a coil of a cloud in an attempt to make sure it didn't strangle him. Fear ricocheted in his head as he remained unaware of what to do. _It's an illusion, _Something in his mind told him, _It's not real. She said it herself. Stop fighting! It's useless!_ However, the natural instincts in his minds were overwhelmed with the sense of reality to listen.

"The mind is amazing, isn't it? It can perceive fantasy as reality. Can't you just feel the cool, damp mist against your skin? The breeze through your hair?"

As she mentioned it, he could…surely this must've been real.

Hidden from view Kaida had used her chakra to push the air around him, and had put into action the Maimu Line's signature ability to control water with uncanny ease to take the water from a nearby plant and spray it as a mist against Sasuke's face. She smirked as his expression turned from stone to fear. Messing with minds was so easy, especially when they knew nothing about you. Just to test if he now believed she had control over reality, she shifted the image from a cloud, to a lava pit. The steam curled up from the magma, as it began to encircle him. His eyes grew in terror. She let some of the magma hit him, and made him view the situation as if it were actual lava touching him—in other words, he caught afire, his clothes burning and skin now suffering from third degree burns. Just as Ryuu, the General of Shinunak had, Sasuke's mind now thought that this was real and his own nerves registered pain, although there was none, making Sasuke experience it. He gasped in agony.

"How can you do this? This isn't possible. My Sharingan should be able to see through an illusion—Curse or no Curse!" Secretly, Kaida frowned again. How did he know—no, it must've been a lucky guess.

True, the Uchiha clan was supposed to be able to see through all illusionary techniques. But at the same time, Kaida's people had had that curse put upon them long ago—before the Uchiha's. This meant, the Curse was not has effective against them and, with an amazing will and amount of skill, they could partially break. That was why Misaki and Nori had fallen to him. But, at the same time, it had taken a good ten minutes before he had broken through the illusions, indicating that it wasn't as easy as simply snapping your fingers. That was why he hadn't seen through the petty illusion she had made—he hadn't been expecting it therefore didn't try to break through. But now? Honestly, Kaida wasn't sure. The main side of her told her he would never be able to break through—he didn't have a will strong enough to nor was as fluent in executing skills as Itachi. However, a small…very much so minor part of her wanted him to. If he did, she would have a partner worthy of trying to slay Itachi with. A person like her. An avenger. Someone who understood her bloodlust for killing and hunger for demise. Not because she was a monster but because she was an avenger. Lost in wickedness searching for justice—that was an avenger.

The arrogance in her spoke, "True," It admitted, "You can pierce such a thick amount of illusion. However, it takes an extreme amount of power and will—do you really loath me enough to?" Sasuke threw a furious look, in mere coincidence, right where Kaida was standing. She didn't flinch.

"I've taken down people far superior to you!" He retorted, "You're nothing compared to them."

A flame ignited in Kaida. "_What_ did you just say? You think that this is my _true_ power, Uchiha?" She let out a mirthless laugh, "You'd be dead then, Uchiha. _Dead_."

"Then why aren't I?" Asked Sasuke.

"You want to die?" Smirked Kaida, "I thought you wanted Itachi dead before you died."

"Then why did you spare me? If your line is truly so high and mighty?" Replied Sasuke.

"To test you, dear Sasuke. Did you forget? This is a lesson." She purred voice silky. "So how about instead of worrying about intents, you try to beat me. If you can't beat petty me, how can you ever even _dream_ of killing someone even I cannot?"

Sasuke, in temper, launched from the source of her voice. However, seeing as though to his best knowledge he was in some volcanic field of lava, Kaida easily delivered a kick to the gut. He fell backwards, beaten but not defeated.

"Is that all the Uchiha Clan has left? Can't you at least _try_ to see through the illusion? Your brother can…but, that's why you can't beat him, isn't it?" She didn't even know where the words were coming from anymore. They certainly weren't hers… "Because you're weak."

That word seemed to ring in the forest… '_Weak, weak, weak, weak…_'

"Don't—" He unleashed ten shurikens randomly, two of which came extremely close to Kaida, "_Ever_." He threw a blind punch from where her gasp had come from, in which he brushed against her hair, "Call me weak!"

He swept his leg underneath her and she fell.

"Ah, so you _do_ have a bit of your brother's talents."

As she spoke, she raised her arms, her index and middle fingers made into a triangle hand-sign. One very seldom used in jutsu's, however it gave her more control in the IllusionWeaver jutsu in which she was using. "Change!" She proclaimed, letting chakra run through her hands and around her body, "IllusionWeaver Control!" She felt more chakra rush into her system, and more power at her fingertips. Her mind opened up to even more options, like a computer user finding a hidden toolbar.

She let the image change into a field of bloody corpses, the foul odor of decomposition and blood strong in the air. Unreal insects swarmed in the air, creating irritating, droning of buzzes. Normally, she only had control over vision and hearing which usually was enough. Now, however, she had power over scent as well, more then enough to fool Sasuke.

"What the—" The words seemed to catch in his throat. "What…what is this?"

"Your fate," Replied Kaida sheepishly, using her fluent lying skills.

"You can't see the future!" Snapped Sasuke, "Quit the mind games. They don't work on me."

Smirking, Kaida let a flock of crows that been pecking away at some flesh take off, a few stray feathers fluttering to the ground. Sasuke covered his face and took a step back on the blood-covered grass.

"Oh, Sasuke. I _already _quit the games. This is no game. This is _fate_. Destiny." Her cruel heart shrieked with joy, "Yours."

"What?"

"In your quest for power, you will learn to kill-worship blood. Love terror and darkness. Your heart shall alter, your friends will hate you—friends will be a thing of the past. Your sword and love of hatred and death will be your companions."

Sasuke, to the bewilderment of Kaida, smirked. "Then what of you? Do I defeat you? Is this the fate I get if I kill you?" He stepped towards her, as if he could see her, "You know, there are some things that I truly hate. One of those would be traitors." With a burst of chakra and overall power that he unleashed, the illusion shattered. Kaida's emerald eyes grew as the faded vision of her imagination disappeared meaning that Sasuke no longer saw it. "And the other is cowards who hide in the shadows."

"You...you." Kaida seemed unable to articulate the words.

"Broke your illusion? Yes." Completed Sasuke, his face satisfied, "I told you to quit—mind games don't work on me."

Her face was shadowed. Sasuke let it sink in for her. He had beaten her…difficultly, although he'd never admit that to her, but he had. However, it was his turn to look at her with bewilderment as her lips curled from emotionless to a smile. She laughed. It wasn't cold, however, but vaguely familiar…. Sasuke, however, did not notice the familiarity for he was too enraged to.

"What are you laughing about?" He snarled.

"You truly are, an Uchiha, Sasuke. You broke one of the hardest tests—most of which people go mad with or commit suicide," She brushed a lock of hair out of her face, "Do you have any idea what that means? You have a chance—a very good chance, might I add, of beating your brother." Her happiness stopped, her face becoming sober. "But, to do so, in which I am willing to aid you in, you're going to have to get away from Orochimaru."

"What—wait, why should I even listen to you? You're mad—insane!" Yelled Sasuke, becoming confused and frustrated at the same time.

"You should trust me, because I share your dream and I think it would be best if we did it together. It would be faster—possible. I won't kid you, I can't beat him now. And, although I admire your valiance, you can't either. The gap is too large for either of us. We need another—each other, if we ever want to rationally accomplish it in the near future." She looked away from Sasuke, sadly, "As for me being insane, yes. Perhaps I am mad. But, I'm afraid, there's order even in chaos, and especially in mine. Perhaps that's why it seems like such mayhem. For Orochimaru…" She turned back to him, her eyes now golden and filled with truth, "He's using you, Sasuke. I don't like the idea either, and I'd be much happier telling you that your sensei wants what's best for you, but he doesn't. And it'll just be futile to pretend he is. He's only been training you to keep you around until he can go into your body." Sasuke turned away from her…. Was that why Naruto and Sakura had wanted him to go back to his home? Or was this some plan by the two? No….Kaida was hated by Konoha. How could she ever even ally herself with them? Unless this was how she planned to redeem herself…no, Kaida would've used blunt force, most likely.

"You believe me, don't you? I know you don't have much reason to, but Orochimaru isn't on the good side, as I'm sure you've noticed. He's heartless and wants only what's best for him. Why on earth would he give you power unless he expects you to return it? In your case, by taking over your body." Sasuke, against his own will, fell to the grassy ground. He was exhausted from fighting and having to use that much chakra to break through her illusions—that and had been fighting all day. And now, finding out that his sensei only wanted him for his own gain? His mind was an emotional tornado.

"I'm so sorry," Muttered Kaida, sitting down gracefully across from him, "But, I'm sure he'll be expecting you in your set time period." Sasuke opened his mouth before remembering she could riffle through his memories, "Don't worry, about Orochimaru. Legendary Sannin, or not, he could be Mother Nature for all I care. But, I'd still take him out all the same."

Sasuke, for once in a very long time, gave her a weak smile. He felt like someone actually cared about what happened to him…and not because of his appearance but for what he thought—who he was. Suddenly, he couldn't remain awake any longer and felt his vision blur into blackness as he drifted into the abyss of unconsciousness.

Kaida, smiled at an unconscious Sasuke. He was a real fighter, he was. Her grin curled into a smirk. They would make a perfect killing team.


End file.
